Overwatch’s Roadhog Receiving Nerf in the Near Future – First Stop: PTR

Overwatch has been out for less than 8 months, feels like it has been out for 20 years, and still brings about the same excitement as if it were released today. This is thanks to Blizzard‘s constant work on improving the game, adding new features, giving us great, yet small stories to build these characters up on, and the overall experience as a whole. One of its beloved(depends on who you’re asking) characters is the heavy breathing, portly criminal, Mako Rutledge, affectionately known as Roadhog.

One of the reasons players love to hate Roadhog is because of the almighty hook. It’s almost as if he can grab you from wherever, and that’s it. Say goodnight with the ensuing blast from his Scrap Gun. This, however, may not be the case for much longer. According to Overwatch’s principal designer, Geoff Goodman, in a post on Battle.net’s forum, a nerf for Roadhog may be hitting the Public Test Region (PTR) as soon as this week. Here’s what he had to say on the changes:

Firstly, the hook victim will now move in to the position directly in front of Roadhog, rather than just a straight line towards him. There is a cap on how far ‘to the side’ you can be pulled, so you can’t just hook someone, spin 180, and dump someone off a cliff. This part (along with some other bug fixes) should generally make the hook feel more consistent as to where the victims get pulled.

Secondly, the line-of-sight check to see if a hook should connect or not is now checked from Roadhog’s position, instead of the hook’s position. This basically means the hook can’t connect to targets that Roadhog himself can’t see.

Lastly, there is a new persistent line-of-sight check back to Roadhog once the hook has landed. If this check fails, the hook breaks off and returns to Roadhog. This means if you get hooked and move out of LOS quickly (either you dashed, were falling, were pushed, etc), the hook will now break early and not pull the target.”

This could potentially spell heartbreak for those who main as Roadhog, but it will surely bring delight to anyone that has been on the business end of his hook. Honestly, it almost sounds as if it is improving the hook and how players are able to use it. Sure, it could possibly make Roadhog a bit weaker, but maybe not in a significant way. We will just have to wait and see how big of an effect the changes will have when they hit the PTR.

What say you, gamers? Do you believe this will be a good nerf when all is said and done, or do you feel that Roadhog is fine just the way he is? Let us know down in the comments section! Before you go typing away down there, however, you should check this out. Mass Effect: Andromeda has an official release date and we absolutely cannot wait to play! For the latest and greatest in the gaming world, be sure to stick around to Don’t Feed the Gamers because when we bring you the news, it’s like a warm blanket to wrap yourself in.

Eric is an editor and writer for Don't Feed the Gamers. When he is not staring at a computer screen filled with text, he is usually staring at a computer screen filled with controllable animations. Today's youth call this gaming. He also likes to shoot things. With a camera, of course.

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